HP Spectre 13 review

The HP Spectre 13 is the world’s thinnest laptop. And you don’t need any validation for this, just one look at the device is enough. I guess it must also be the most stylish notebooks in the market, full with golden hinges and strip at the back. It has an artistic speaker grille of the type I have never seen before in a computer. Yes, it is suave. Yes, it is unique. But is this the best?

Specs: 13.3-inch Full HD LED display with with edge-to-edge Gorilla Glass 4 | 6th Gen Intel Core i7-6500U 2.5GHz processor | Intel HD graphics 520 | 8GB RAM | 512GB SSD | 2XUSB Type-C Gen 2, 1XUSB Type-C Gen 1 | Windows 10 Pro (64bit)

Price: Rs 1,39,900

What is good?

Let’s start with the design. As I mentioned before, this is one stylish notebook. It has premium written all over it. However, it is the vital stats that set this one apart. It is the thinnest notebook in the market now at just 0.41 inches. And that number is no gimmick. The HP Spectre 13 has been made to awe. But then you hold it, and hardly feel it in your hands. That’s what happens when a laptop is all of 1.11 kg, and actually feel lighter.

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The 13.3-inch Full HD LED is a pleasure to type on. You don’t really need a 4K display if you have a screen like this. It is also one of the brightest screens on a laptop at 300 nits. In fact, this BrightView display is a bit too bright, making it almost impossible to work at full brightness in low light. However, this comes in very handy when you are in a really bright room and would otherwise have struggled to read the screen.

The keyboard is great to work on. I have always thought this Macs where the best in this department, but this one from HP is not lacking in anyway. It has the perfect amount of travel and is well spaced out, despite this being a compact notebook. There are no compromises on this keyboard.

The keyboard is a pleasure to work on. It has the perfect amount of travel and is well spaced out, despite this being a compact notebook.

I have over the past year or so come to believe that Windows 10 works best on top end devices and the experience in the middle range is not really that smooth. But in this device, with its Intel Core i7 processor and 8GB RAM, you will not be thinking of performance even for a minute. The HP Spectre 13 is built to impress and it does its best when it comes to actual performance.

The battery is good enough to last you a regular day at work. And for the rather long days, you have the battery saver option. I would put these numbers at five hours and seven hours respectively.

What is not that good?

This is not necessarily a bad thing. I tried the so called Saffron SKU, with the gold bands and a saffron backlight. It has a bit too much of bling if you ask me. But then people will get the idea that you have paid a bomb for it. This is the tech equivalent of the thick golden bracelet.

The Bang & Olufsen speakers are a bit underwhelming. While the audio quality is clear, it seems to lack the volume you need to enjoy a YouTube video on the great screen.

The Bang & Olufsen speakers are a bit underwhelming. While the audio quality is clear, it seems to lack the volume you need to enjoy a YouTube video on the great screen.

I felt a bit of heat being ventilated from the rear fan grille. The thin notebooks usually prefer an Atom processor primarily to keep this thermal footprint down. But this device has a proper Intel Core i7 and will need to dissipate heat as it works. It is not too much of a problem, but you will notice it on your thighs from time to time.

Buying this will mean entering a world of converters as this notebook does not have even one traditional USB. You will need to use USB Type-C inputs, especially for the accessories. Which means there is going to be limited choice.

If you want to buy a top-end Windows 10 device, this is certainly among the best bets out there now.

My biggest issue with the HP Spectre 13 is the price. It is almost Rs 18,000 more that its US price for the i5 model and the markup for the i7 model is more, and I doubt if this can entirely be blamed on taxes and duties. So what could have been a top-end model ends up being an upper management only kind of device in India. At a better price point, HP here has the opportunity to offer a viable alternative to the a high-specced MacBook Air.

Should you buy?

Yes, if you want to buy a top-end Windows 10 device. I guess this is certainly among the best bets out there now. You will not regret this purchase, if you can really afford a device this premium. If you have made it good in life, then these are the sort of indulgences you should be able to afford without feeling guilty.